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Sugarbush Reporter Was Not Fired for Viral JD Vance-Related Snow Update

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Sugarbush Reporter Was Not Fired for Viral JD Vance-Related Snow Update

A flare of protest against the Trump administration erupted last weekend from the most unexpected of places: a snow report.

The setting was the powder-packed peaks of the Sugarbush ski resort in the Green Mountains of Vermont, where Vice President JD Vance had retreated on Saturday for a day of skiing with his family. Before Mr. Vance arrived, a lengthy post appeared on the Sugarbush website, meant to be an early morning rundown of the current slope conditions.

As it turned out, it was more of a report of the current conditions of our nation, as perceived by Lucy Welch, the resort’s “snow reporter.”

“Right now, National Forest lands and National Parks are under direct attack by the current Administration,” Ms. Welch wrote, after praising the natural beauty of the place. “This Administration also neglects to address the danger, or even the existence of, climate change, the biggest threat to the future of our industry, and the skiing we all so much enjoy here.”

Ms. Welch, 25, was not finished, noting the staff cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — “a resource I use every day for snow reporting,” she said — and praising the diversity of people, including veterans, immigrants and members of L.B.G.T.Q. communities, who both work and play at Sugarbush.

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“ALL of these groups are being targeted, undervalued, and disrespected by the current Administration,” she wrote, adding, “We are living in a really scary and really serious time.”

Finally, she suggested that she might lose her job for posting her opinions, but that she felt it was worth it.

“This whole shpiel probably won’t change a whole lot, and I can only assume that I will be fired,” she wrote, “but at least this will do even just a smidge more than just shutting up and being a sheep.”

The post, which went live at 6:49 a.m. and also provided a full rundown on new snow, open trails and gusty winds, was removed later that day. But it was almost immediately shared online by fellow skiers and Vermonters, with many casting Ms. Welch as a brave, new member of the Resistance, as President Trump’s opponents are sometimes known. “I Love Lucy” T-shirts were mocked up, as were depictions of Ms. Welch on social media in which she was shown standing up to a hulking snow-slope groomer, Tiananmen Square-style.

Others posted messages like “I Ski With Lucy Welch,” while Bill McKibben, the author and climate activist, called Ms. Welch “a hero for the moment.”

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“If a 25-year-old can risk her job to — quite politely — speak truth to power, the rest of us can figure out some things to do as well,” Mr. McKibben wrote in a Substack post in which he likened her to Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary War rebel. “We need more of them to take on King Donald, and I’d follow Lucy Welch in a heartbeat.”

Mr. Vance’s trip to Vermont, one of the nation’s most liberal states, drew crowds of protesters on Saturday, just a day after the vice president had clashed with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in the Oval Office. Demonstrators lined local roads and protested around Sugarbush, holding signs calling Mr. Vance a traitor and suggesting he “go ski in Russia.” Mr. Vance’s ski skills and possible attire were also mocked by some locals. (“Vance skis in jeans,” read one sign, highlighting a major ski faux pas, though Mr. Vance’s use of jeans could not be confirmed.)

Even before the vice president arrived, officials at Sugarbush had tried to prepare staff for “a high-profile guest” — they did not name Mr. Vance — and noted that his choice of slopes did not necessarily represent an endorsement. “Our view is that everyone should feel included in the celebration of the outdoors and the joy it offers,” the memo read.

And despite Ms. Welch’s fears that her snow report might lead to her firing, John Bleh, a spokesman for Sugarbush, said on Wednesday that she “remains a member of the team,” though he confirmed that her post had been removed after being up “for a bit.”

“We respect the voice and opinion of all our employees,” Mr. Bleh said, “but determined that the snow report was not the appropriate medium to share.”

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For his part, Mr. Vance said in a posting on X on Tuesday that he and his family “had a great time” in Vermont and “barely noticed the protesters.”

“Almost everyone we met was kind and generous,” he added, after chiding an online commenter as idiotic and before disputing a report in The New York Post that he’d had to move to an “undisclosed location” because of security concerns.

Ms. Welch could not be reached for comment, but in a biography posted on SugarBlog, she described herself as a recent graduate of the University of Vermont whose love of skiing had blossomed only in the last few years. “I am my happiest, most vibrant self when I am on the hill,” she wrote.

She said her job as snow reporter consisted of “waking up at 4:30 a.m. 4 days a week and spending my waking hours looking at snow, thinking about snow, talking about snow, writing about snow, and of course, skiing on snow.”

On Saturday, of course, her writing interests veered into more political terrain, as she worried she would “never be able to afford a good life for a child anyway, and snow will be a thing of Vermont history.”

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“So please, for the sake of our future shredders,” she concluded, “Be Better Here.”

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Trump’s name must come off of the Kennedy Center, judge rules

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Trump’s name must come off of the Kennedy Center, judge rules

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

A federal judge has blocked President Trump from adding his name to the Kennedy Center, saying that the Washington, D.C. arts complex was named for the late president John F. Kennedy. In a ruling on Friday, the judge also temporarily blocked the administration from closing the Kennedy Center for a planned two-year renovation that was slated to begin in July.

U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper wrote in his ruling that: “The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

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A Kennedy Center spokesperson told NPR in an email Friday afternoon that it will appeal the decision. Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the complex, wrote: “We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges. With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”

NPR has requested comment from the White House, but did not receive an immediate reply.

As part of his ruling, Judge Cooper ordered that all signage and online materials referring to the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” the “Trump Kennedy Center,” or anything similar must be removed within 14 days.

The judge also blocked, for now, plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years of renovations. Trump and the center’s current voting board members – all of whom were selected by the president, who also became chairman of the center last year – had planned to start the renovations in early July, just after the 250th anniversary celebrations. In his 94-page ruling, Judge Cooper called the renovation plans “murky,” and wrote: “None of the board members had sufficient information in advance of the March 16 meeting to make a well-considered decision to close the center.” The center has been winding down its programming and has already dismissed most of its programming staff.

Referring to a Truth Social post written by President Trump in February, the judge also wrote: “There was no ‘one year review of the Trump Kennedy Center, that has taken place with Contractors, Musical Experts, Art Institutions, and other Advisors and Consultants, deciding between’ complete and partial closure, as President Trump claimed.”

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Cooper’s ruling resulted from a lawsuit filed in March by Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board whose voting rights there were stripped last year.

The ruling does not prevent the Kennedy Center’s board from a future closure, but the judge said that it should do so only after the board has “sufficient information to make a considered, independent decision, taking account of its obligation to both maintain and operate a premiere arts venue and its solemn duty to memorialize a fallen President.”

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L.A. Affairs: I went on 53 first dates in one summer. Here’s a look at my spreadsheet

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L.A. Affairs: I went on 53 first dates in one summer. Here’s a look at my spreadsheet

Three years after my second divorce, with the help of a dating app, I went on 53 first dates in one summer. Fifty-three times, I put on my first-date uniform (nice but not trying too hard), flat-ironed my hair and texted my date itinerary to my friend Karen to make it easier for the FBI to track my whereabouts just in case this was the internet date that finally went wrong.

I had a system. The system involved a spreadsheet. I kept track of what I wore and what stories we shared to avoid repeating myself in case there was a second or third date. There were exploratory follow-up dates, but it usually only took one to know.

The coffees and lunches and dinners of that season flicker in my mind like a rom-com video montage. There were some average dates, plenty of nice-guy, zero-chemistry dates, but a few stand out.

Here are the notables.

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There was the extremely tall, minor league baseball player I met at BJ’s in Burbank. He said no more than four words to me the entire meal, but managed to chat up our waitress. I believe he walked me to my car and went back for her number.

The quiet and irritable TV editor I met at Guelaguetza on Olympic Boulevard. We ordered the chicken mole and chapulines. During the meal, he had a panic attack and excused himself to call his therapist. He actually told me this.

The experimental-video director with the white faux hawk I met at Go Get Em Tiger in East Hollywood. He spent the date in an hourlong monologue about his ex-wife Julia, stopping only to show me many, many photos of Julia.

A young man, originally from Phoenix, asked to meet at Soot Bull Jip on 8th Street. A struggling writer-actor-production assistant, he confided that he had looked up my name on Internet Movie Database and noticed that I was a producer. He then proceeded to pitch me an animated children’s show about singing giraffes. He also asked for a ride to Vons. I declined both.

The screenwriter I met at République who, based on his startling non-resemblance to his photo, had obviously posted a picture of someone else on his profile. He brought me three mixed CDs of music based on what he “knew” I would like. It was all Radiohead and Elliott Smith. I adjusted my dating profile because I was apparently coming off as depressed.

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There was the nervous and uptight English tutor, with a script in turn-around and a famous roommate, that I met at a Starbucks in Koreatown. This guy corrected my grammar within the first five minutes of our introduction. Then, he proceeded to inform me that rather than be put off by this, I should be grateful for the new information so I could fix my error and not appear to be uneducated.

The trendy, bearded sports photographer I met for a late-night dinner at Fred 62 in Los Feliz. I had high hopes for this guy, and we made plans for a second date. But then things started unraveling once we realized I had already dated his younger brother.

There was also the suave (Hand kiss? Really?) and extremely tan French tennis pro I crossed La Cienega Boulevard for and met for lunch at Thai Vegan in Santa Monica. He was on a nonstop series of calls on his cellphone during the entire meal and then asked for a second date. I said, “Non, merci.

When describing these guys to Karen, I used their identifying traits to label them. (Stalker Creep. Dude Looks Like a Lady. Mom Jeans Guy.) Like an FNG in Vietnam, it was better not to learn their names.

Due to a story he had shared with me via email, date No. 53 was identified as Naked Drummer. I tried to reserve judgment. Before Naked Drummer came to meet me for our first date, he called at the last minute and said the following:

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“I want to recap. I just turned 30. I am currently living with my mother. I play guitar in an alternative folk band. I have a semi-crappy temp job at Disney with no benefits. I drive a green ’97 Plymouth Grand Voyager minivan that smells like weed. If you would like to change your mind about this whole dinner thing, now is your chance.” He described himself as tall, dark and tall.

For some reason, I broke many of my first date “safety rules” with Naked Drummer. I gave him my address. I let him pick me up. When he came to get me, I let him into my apartment. We went for dinner at Noshi Sushi on Beverly Boulevard. None of that is prudent behavior, and I do not recommend any of it except the chu toro.

Naked Drummer was a funny, smart, nice Jewish boy who had been touring in bands in that Grand Voyager since college graduation. On the first date, we bonded over takuwan rolls and our histories as teenage goths. My goth uniform included black Maybelline eyeliner I used a lighter to heat the tip with before application. His goth uniform included an olive-green trench coat he borrowed from his mom. We were a match made in Joy Division heaven. He confided he was an Insane Clown Posse Juggalo, I intimated I was in the Kiss Army. (We were both lying about those last two.)

Reader, I married him.

The author is a former writer, director and producer for television. She and Mr. Rosenberg live in South Pasadena. She’s on Instagram: @smacksy.

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L.A. Affairs chronicles the search for romantic love in all its glorious expressions in the L.A. area, and we want to hear your true story. We pay $400 for a published essay. Email LAAffairs@latimes.com. You can find submission guidelines here. You can find past columns here.

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Poppy Liu wants to remind you how revolutionary I Love Boosters is : Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

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Poppy Liu wants to remind you how revolutionary I Love Boosters is : Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

I Love Boosters starts like a fun heist movie. There’s a gang of cool ladies from the Bay Area who steal clothes from high-end designers and sell them at a steep discount to their friends and neighbors. But I Love Boosters is also a Boots Riley movie. The film is surreal and bombastic, branching out in a thousand directions and traversing a dozen genres. So it can’t really stay a heist movie.

Poppy Liu drives that change more than pretty much any other character in the film. She plays Jianhu, a garment worker in China who joins the gang and brings with her a bonkers new wrinkle to the story. It’s a role Poppy was made for. She’s made her career playing confident, somewhat unhinged weirdos. She was cast in a lead role in the 2019 sitcom Sunnyside, had other parts on Better Call Saul, The After Party, and Hacks.

Liu joins us to talk about starring in I Love Boosters and the message that she hopes audiences take away from the film. She also chats with us about her upbringing in Minnesota, how she got into comedy acting, her role on Hacks, and much more.

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